UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday called for mobilization of international resources to treat mental disorders.

    In a message for World Mental Health Day, which is observed on October 10 every year, Ban said that health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, but "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being."

    "Mental disorders contribute more to disease burden and disability in developing countries than any other category of non-communicable disease, yet only a small minority of people with mental disorders in these countries have access to mental health services," he said. "The need is high, and care is inadequate."

    The secretary-general noted that World Mental Health Day is an important opportunity to mobilize international resources to meet the goal of providing adequate mental health care.

    Governments and public health organizations, civil society, multilateral agencies and donors must join hands to make this happen, he said.

    "Effective treatments exist for a wide variety of mental disorders. Let us unite to scale up mental health services and involve primary health-care systems in delivering mental health services worldwide," he said.

    World Mental Health Day is a global mental health education, awareness and advocacy project of World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 100 countries.

    The 2009 World Mental Health Day global awareness campaign will focus on "Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health."